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Tim Carney

What are conservatives for? Or, how community isn’t always communist

When Democrats about cooperation and collective action, they typically mean government action. This has pushed conservatives to fly the individualist flag. That’s fine, but maybe the real rival of government isn’t individual autonomy as much as voluntary cooperation. …

Conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has been on this subject for a week or so now. Today at Heritage, he gave an interesting talk. One excerpt:

“Ours has never been a vision of isolated, atomized loners. It is a vision of husbands and wives; parents and children; neighbors and neighborhoods; volunteers and congregations; bosses and employees; businesses and customers; clubs, teams, groups, associations … and friends.”

Blowback

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There is nothing wrong with community projects that are voluntary and I’ve never considered them to be communist. The problem is when that project is mandatory by law and strips you of fundamental rights. The other problem is forcing people by law to think the same and telling them how the must conduct themselves. The liberal leftest in this country want to force everyone into the same mold and entertain no ideas or opinions not their own.

I think government mandates are OK as long as they come from a local government. If you want to live in a community that forces people to install solar panels and buy their groceries at organic farmers’ markets, knock yourself out. My problem is that the socialists always want to force their ideas on everyone else. Why? Because their ideas don’t have a chance unless people are forced to adopt them. If I find myself in the above scenario, I have the freedom to move away. I live in a suburb of Dallas. Dallas and Dallas county are mostly-blue cesspools. My suburb and county are solidly red. So I get the benefits of living near a large city but don’t have to put up with the petty political squabbling that goes on down there.

I think government mandates are OK as long as they come from a local government. If you want to live in a community that forces people to install solar panels and buy their groceries at organic farmers’ markets, knock yourself out. My problem is that the socialists always want to force their ideas on everyone else. Why? Because their ideas don’t have a chance unless people are forced to adopt them.

Odysseus on April 24, 2013 at 7:34 AM

Agree.

Another logistical reason the Left hates federalism is because states and community governments can’t print their own money. Their statist utopia can’t exist in “real life,” without endless print runs of fiat money. They’re unaffordable. “Rich” people and business would eventually be targets for money and, if they were able, would just cross the border and flee.

I think government mandates are OK as long as they come from a local government. If you want to live in a community that forces people to install solar panels and buy their groceries at organic farmers’ markets, knock yourself out. My problem is that the socialists always want to force their ideas on everyone else. Why? Because their ideas don’t have a chance unless people are forced to adopt them.

Odysseus on April 24, 2013 at 7:34 AM

Agree.

Another logistical reason the Left hates federalism is because states and community governments can’t print their own money. Their statist utopia can’t exist in “real life,” without endless print runs of fiat money. They’re unaffordable. “Rich” people and business would eventually be targets for money and, if they were able, would just cross the border and flee.

visions on April 24, 2013 at 7:54 AM

Great points guys.
I totally agree. When locals vote on these things, they rule themselves & when a person really has a problem with something, they have that option of voting, running for an office or moving.
Federalism works when people play by the rules.
But things have gotten so far out of control bcs the lawyers have been allowed to twist the words of state Constitutions & the US Constitution so much that no one knows anything anymore.

The distinction is that word “voluntary”. When a local government (though even some of those are much too large and encompassing) makes rules, those are to a great extent voluntary for the reasons noted above.

Big sign. Voluntary! Not Big Brother mandated community through taxation where you are contributing to the financial welfare of politicians so they can continue to live in the manner to which they are accustomed.

I struggle with this as I am on “city” council (if a population of ~200 people constitute a city).

Many times, people come and ask us to do things, and my first thought is “why (as a governing body) is this our business?” Many times, the things they want us to do should be done by a Chamber of Commerce (which we don’t have) or the Lions Club or someone else, but they don’t have the money, so they ask the city to do it. Or the leaders of the Lions Club, the Pride group, etc, are on the council, and they can’t differentiate the responsibilities of each group.

I try to think of the orneriest, stingyist old cuss in town (which is sometimes my husband) and think if that person would want us to spend money doing this action. Most of the time, it is no.